The present invention relates to a nucleic acid separating vessel for separating the nucleic acid from a liquid sample, to a method of manufacturing the same, and to a method for separating the nucleic acid.
A conventional method for separating and purifying a nucleic acid comprising the steps of isolating the nucleic acid into a liquid sample by making a biological sample and the like soluble in the solution, extracting the nucleic acid with an organic solvent and the like, precipitating the nucleic acid with alcohol and the like, and recovering the nucleic acid, has been used widely.
However, the above conventional method is inadequate for automatic operation, in view of requiring a large amount of labor and learning the operating procedures, and of frequent use of centrifugal separating operation, because it requires a large number of operating steps.
In order to overcome the above problems, a method utilizing an adsorption characteristics of the nucleic acid to a solid phase body has been disclosed. For instance, a description that the nucleic acid combines with glass under the presence of chaotropic salt is disclosed in the Proceedings of National Academy of Science of the USA vol. 76, 615-619 (1979).
Utilizing the characteristics of the nucleic acid to combine with a silicon oxide (silica) under a certain condition, a nucleic acid extracting kit and a nucleic acid automatic extracting apparatus using magnetic silica particles, silica particles, silica fiber or filter, spin column or micro plate containing the above articles, and the like are obtainable commercially.
However, in accordance with the above prior art, a magnet is necessary for separating the magnetic particles from the liquid sample (B/F separation) when the magnetic particles are used, and a centrifugal separating operation is necessary when the glass particles or spin column is used. Accordingly, the operation and composition of the apparatus become composite. In particular, when the magnetic particles were used in a micro plate type, magnetic particle separating mechanisms as same number as the number of wells became necessary, and there were problems such that the composition of the apparatus becomes composite and expensive.
In a case when silica fiber or filter, and micro plate containing them are used, the B/F separation is performed by a filtering operation or a centrifugal operation. When particle size was decreased, or fiber density was increased in order to increase combining ability of these materials with nucleic acid, there were problems such that passing velocity of the liquid sample was decreased, and the velocity of the B/F separation was decreased.